1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to compound semiconductors, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a compound semiconductor and a compound insulator by heating a layered structure having an inter layer of a rare earth metal and/or a transition metal sandwiched between dielectric layers so as to induce chemical reaction and diffusion of elements, and to a compound semiconductor apparatus such as a photo cell, an electronic circuit, a transistor, and a memory device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A compound semiconductor is conventionally manufactured from a crystal. For example, a gallium arsenic semiconductor is manufactured by injecting an impurity into the crystal of gallium arsenic compound so as to make free electrons and holes. The type of compound semiconductor, that is “p-type” or “n-type”, depends on the ratio of each element of the compound.
Compound semiconductors are generally classified based on the number of elements included in the compound. For example, gallium arsenic and indium phosphorus consist of two elements; aluminum gallium arsenic and gallium indium arsenic consist of three elements; and gallium indium arsenic phosphorus consists of four elements.
Gallium arsenic compound semiconductors are widely used for applications such as computers that require high speed operation because free electrons in the gallium arsenic compound semiconductor move faster than those in a silicon semiconductor. Thanks to its high efficiency of light emission, gallium arsenic compound semiconductors are also used widely for light-emitting diodes.
The compound semiconductor, however, still has the following problems: complex manufacturing process, low yield, and difficulty in adjusting properties.